Memories of the summer so far.......

This has been such a great summer! We have had so many fun adventures. Here are some of my fave highlight moments so far.

• The car ride to MI. We had such a good time and laughed so much (mainly at Allen but don't tell him).









• Just spending that precious time with no outside distractions on the way here.









• Alex's face at Lego land.









• Long walks in the State park with Jake in his jogging stroller.









• Spending time with my cousin Kathleen. It has been so much fun sharing some mommy moments.









• Watching Jake interact with Jonah and Issy.









• Watching Alex make memories with his cousins. He will treasure this time forever. I know I did.









• Tubing with the boys. I never laughed as hard as I did when Alex and I were on the tube and Papa was trying to know us off.









• Spending time with my mom. I really miss her during the year.









• Spending time with Ninny.









• roasting marshmallows in the new outside fireplace









• watching Alex catch fireflies









• Night swimming with Alex and cousins









• Watching my dad bond with the boys









• Having Jake wipe my face with his shirt because I had ice cream on it.









• Watching my baby go off to camp for the first time.

In the words of Alex, this is the best summer ever! I know we have many more adventures ahead of us.

Farmer Allen

Allen has decided this year to plant a "real' garden. I say really because he has planted things in planters before but has never officially had a garden. Last year we tried and some unwelcome guests ate all of our seeds. This year, Alex and Allen used a sprouter and have been growing seeds in it. Today, they started work on the "real" garden. I say they but I mean Alex. You will see by the pictures that Alex is not really working but he loves his garden gloves!! I hope for sake of all three boys that something grows but I can not help hearing "Green Acres" theme song in my head every time I see "garden" !

Spring Brak day 6

So we did not make it to old city park. I can say with all honesty that we did not make it out of our PJ's until 4:30 pm. Instead we did nothing at all. Alex's request. The boys played outside but that was about it. At 4:30, Alex and I scrambled to get dressed because we had a play to go to. We saw Peter Rabbit at the DCT. Sweet aunt Alicia got us the tickets. We went with another mother and son. We went to dinner beforehand and afterwards we went to their house where the boys rough housed and we had a nice chat. It was nice to talk to someone over the age of 6. Not that I don't love talking to Allen but it was nice all in the same. However it was a late night and everyone is having trouble getting going and Alex has soccer. I will try and post pictures later today. We are gong to hang out and start thinking about school.(sigh)

Spring Break day2,3,4, and 5

So I have gotten a little behind. Day 2- We went to the Wiggles Play center in Frisco. We went with Alex's best bud Ford. We had a good time but I thought that it was not worth the price. Maybe if Jake was as big of a wiggles fan as Alex was but I am not even sure than. Jake spent most of his time in a toy car (big surprise, not) and Alex in the slides/ jump house.
Somewhere around this time I got sick. So Day 3 and 4 were spent at home. My sweet hubby took the boys to the park and rough housed with the boys as soon as he got home. Today, we went to the science place. Alex LOVED it. Jake liked it. Alex loved the children's area where he could play dress up and make up stories in his head. Jake just wanted to drive the firetruck. The other big hit was the huge nose that sneezed. Jake thought that was the bomb and did not want to leave. Alex also, liked the Dino digger area, he pretended to be Indiana Jones. Outside, we walked the trails and Alex rode in the boats. Jake showed his temper because he was not able to ride in the boat. Poor guy. All in all a great day. Tomorrow, we may head to Old City park.

Spring Break day 1

OK, so spring break officially started at 3:00 on Friday but Mr. Alex had other plans. He came down with croup. I did not think 6 years old could get it but my kids have always been original. So yesterday was counted as a rest day. Even through we did have one major milestone. Jake is sleeping in a big boy bed( crib with the rail taken off). He chose by himself Mo Mo ( Elmo) sheet set. Alex's was the wiggles and I mean everything the wiggles! He proudly slept in his bed all night but has not ( thank goodness) figured out that he can get out of it by himself. So today we went to the Fort Worth zoo. Another milestone for Jake ( his first trip). We had a wonderful time. Alex's favorite part was the snakes(yuck) and the gorilla. Jake loved the jaguar and the bear. He was terrified of the gorilla and elephant. Go figure! All and All it was a great trip. Tomorrow, we are off to the Wiggle World in Plano with Alex's best bud Ford and his little sister Mason.

The things they say

It never seems to amaze me the things Alex seems to come up with. Since the time he started talking, ( at 12 months, yes he takes after me) he has kept us laughing. You never know what is going to come out of his mouth. Here are a few of our favorite "Alexism"

• Mom, he really likes me to hold him down! I promise, really.



• When praying with Daddy" and God, you have a good day, OK"



• Oh, by the way I think I changed my color at school but the teacher forgot so that doesn't count right, Mom!



• I know , I know I am in big trouble mister. ( I think I need to come up with line since he is know using it on himself"



• Mom, I was never that naughty when I was a baby right.
• Isn't that wicked Mom! ( we have no idea where he learned that word but it is one of his favorites right now)

I have decided that poor Jake is not talking that much because he can not fit a word in between me and his bother. However, the things he does say are just as funny as Alex. This week I picked Jake up first and poor Jake thought we were leaving Alex at the daycare. All the way out to car, Jake kept turning around and yelling "Bubba". When we got to the car, he stopped dead in his tracks and looked at me with those big blues and said "Mama, Bubba!!" I sat the in parking lot trying to explain to a 20 month old that I was not forgetting his brother. That brother was at soccer practice. He looked at me with a serious face and said "oh, boy! Ball" He does not say much but he does know how to make us laugh! I am including a few pictures of Jake in part of his new uniform( yes, I said uniform) that he has to wear to school. If you think this is pretty silly I would have to agree with you. His uniform is a white shirt with the school logo and blue pants. We have not be able to locate blue dress pants in 12 month size so he has been wearing jeans. I must admit he looks really cute. But $25 for a shirt that is white is a little silly. Oh well such is life.

Random

So it has been a long time since I have blogged. A lot has happened in the last few months. Alex has continued to struggle with school especially writing. He is a very smart boy but when it comes to fine motor skills he really struggles. We have sought help through private resources as well as through the school. Hopefully, he will soon get the help he needs to be the most successful student he can be. But throughout it all he continues to remind us how good God is and how much we have to be thankful for Alex's sweet spirit and loving attitude. As he continues to tell me "Mom, God makes everyone different." You got to love that boy!! Jake has grown up so much in the last few months. He has moved up to the big boy room at school and loves his new teacher Ms.Abby. He is continuing to add new words to his vocabulary everyday and has learn how to express himself very well. If you don't pay attention to what he is trying to tell you, he will clap his hands at you until he has your attention. I have no idea where he got this bossy attitude :) Definitely not from me! We have been keeping very busy with sport events (Alex tried basketball this year) and lots of church activities. We are all looking for to spring break in a couple of weeks. I think we can all use a break from our day to day lives. We are not going to New Jersey this year because of short time frame and I just don't want to travel with two small kiddos by myself. My parents are going to try and come here for a long weekend which will be really nice for all of us. We really miss not being able to see them every day and look forward to day they can move back to Texas. I think I have rambled enough for now. I am going to post some of our favorite pictures from the past few months and call it a night!